Convoy PQ 1
Convoy PQ-1 was the second of the Arctic Convoys of World War II by which the Western Allies supplied material aid to the Soviet Union in its fight with Nazi Germany. The Convoy sailed from Hvalfiord Iceland on 29 September 1941 and arrived at Archangelsk on 11 October 1941.
Ships
This Convoy consisted of 11 merchant ships loaded with raw materials, 20 tanks and 193 crated Hawker Hurricane fighter planes.
Escorted ships convoy PQ-1 (29 Sep 1941 - 11 Oct 1941)
- Cruiser HMS Suffolk
- Destroyers HMS Antelope and HMS Anthony
- Minesweepers — HMS Britomart , HMS Gossamer , HMS Leda , HMS Hussar .
Escorted ships convoy PQ-1 initially (29 Sep 1941 - 4 Oct 1941)
- Destroyer HMS Anthony
- RFA Black Ranger .
Escorted ships convoy PQ-1 at later stage (2 Oct 1941 - 11 Oct 1941)
- Destroyer HMS Escapade.
Escorted ships convoy PQ-1 in the coastal waters of the USSR (10 - 11 Oct 1941)
- Minesweeper HMS Harrier
- Destroyers Uritski , Valerian Kuybyshev
All ships arrived safely.
Complete List of Ships
The following information is from the Arnold Hague Convoy Database.[1]
| Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Antelope (H36) |  Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| HMS Anthony (H40) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| Atlantic (1939) |  United Kingdom |
5,414 | Commodore’s ship |
| RFA Black Ranger (1941) |  United Kingdom |
3,417 | Detached on 4 Oct with HMS Antelope |
| Blairnevis (1930) | United Kingdom |
4,155 | |
| HMS Britomart (J22) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| Capira (1920) |  Panama |
5,625 | |
| Elna Ii (1903) |  Soviet Union |
3,221 | |
| Escapade | Royal Navy |
Escort 01 Oct - 11 Oct | |
| Gemstone (1938) | United Kingdom |
4,986 | |
| Gossamer | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| Harmonic (1930) | United Kingdom |
4,558 | |
| HMS Harrier | Royal Navy |
Escort 10 Oct - 11 Oct | |
| HMS Hussar (J82) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| HMS Impulsive (D11) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| HMS Leda (J93) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| Lorca (1931) | United Kingdom |
4,875 | |
| North King (1903) | Panama |
4,934 | Vice-commodore’s ship |
| River Afton (1935) | United Kingdom |
5,479 | |
| HMS Suffolk (55) | Royal Navy |
Escort 29 Sept - 11 Oct | |
| Uritski | Soviet Union |
Escort | |
| Valerian Kuybyshev | Soviet Union |
Escort | |
| Ville D'Anvers (1920) | .svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
7,462 | |
Trivia
The code PQ was chosen from the initials of Commander Phillip Quellyn Roberts an operations officer in the Admiralty
References
- ↑ "Convoy PQ.1". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
- Richard Woodman, Arctic Convoys 1941-1945, 1994, ISBN 0-7195-5752-6
- Convoy web
- Russian Convoy PQ-1. www.naval-history.net